Mass Effect: Progeny
by Harbinger1975
Summary: Shana is a biotic who was taken from her father when she was only eight years old.  She is going through that which Subject Zero is in secret via a splinter cell from Pragia.  But will she be saved in time?
1. Prologue

"_They failed with Subject Zero."_

Darkness… -A heartbeat sound-

"_They couldn't control her. What did you expect from Cerberus? They reached too far too fast."_

Sadness… -Another heartbeat-

"_Thankfully we didn't have to start from scratch. Her father was already a powerful biotic. Married to an Asari."_

Mommy… -A third heartbeat-

"_She's human. Asari birth asari. She's the stepchild, you idiot."_

Daddy… -A fourth heartbeat-

"_I may be the idiot. But who decided it was a great idea to take the child from the family during the assault on the Citadel?"_

It's so dark…I'm scared…-a fifth heartbeat-

"_You know he's still looking for the kidnappers. At least he doesn't know it was us."_

"_It doesn't matter if he is looking for us or not. The fact of the matter remains that we were able to perfect the work Cerberus started. Her biotics have showed marked increases."_

Rage…

"_She'll never be a match for the Asari Justicars."_

Hate…

"_Maybe not. But she'll still give them a run for their money with all the experiments we did on her."_

"_Her baseline biotics are dropping."_

"_Give her another jolt."_

The screams of intense and unrelenting pain echo through the make-shift facility in the Hawking Eta cluster. Screams of rage, hatred and sadness. She just wanted it all to stop. She just wanted to go home. Trapped in her own mind for the longest time. She wanted to stop crying from the pain. She wanted her mommy and daddy to tell her everything would be alright.

"_Baselines returning to normal."_

"_She's going to be proof that there is a better biotic by breaking through the pain barriers. And then we'll unleash her…like Cerberus should have done with Subject Zero."_

She could hear their voices. But those voices became muffled as her body gave into the pain, eventually passing out.

The Citadel, the Serpent Nebula:

"He won't let go of the memory or guilt, Admiral. He's practically worn himself out from years of searching for his missing daughter. In a way he still blames himself for her disappearance." Dr. Sven Carmen stated. Doctor Carmen was one of the Alliance Military's psychologists and had worked on this particular case for more than ten years. His specialty was more along the line of a grief counselor and this case had been the hardest he had ever worked on.

Admiral Hackett leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "How can he blame himself for something he had no control over? No one could have known that someone was watching him and his family. Particularly his daughter, Shana."

The doctor removed his glasses. "Admiral, we have to look at the facts. Sergeant Tiberius McGregor or...as the other soldiers came to know him, the Warlord, is a man who escaped Acuz. One of the few that survived their experiments."

"Sergeant McGregor is a strong biotic." The Admiral interjected.

"One of the more powerful, sir."

"I remember Commander Shepard telling me about Akuze. The thresher maw experiments done on the soldiers. His entire squad was thought to be killed. But Toombs and McGregor survived." The Admiral tapped his chin as he thought.

"They survived, sir, yes. But there are still the emotional scars that are left behind. The psychological damage. If you remember the training the biotics go through today, they are taught restraint." He adjusted his glasses, scanning the folder a bit before continuing. "A biotic that lets themselves go is a threat to themselves and those around them. Physically, mind you. An unrestrained biotic can break their own bones without control. We still don't know how Sergeant McGregor was able to survive the strength of his own biotics." His voice grew a bit more solemn. "But he didn't come away from that unscarred, sir." The doctor continued to flip through the folder he was holding.

"Can you elaborate a bit, Doctor?" Hackett focused his gaze on the folder.

"Tiberius still has nightmares about Akuze, sir. Post traumatic stress disorder. His own wife, Luana, has told me about him waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Saying he can still hear the screams of his team." He placed a file on Akuze on the desk. "And I think that the abduction of his daughter has sent him into a relapse. That he's reliving the horror of Akuze all over again. That now she is the subject of the experiments."

"God dammit." Admiral Hackett rubbed his eyes. "And now he's worried that she'll be the casualty of whatever experiments might be done on her."

The doctor looked up from the folder. "Exactly, Admiral. But it might be more than that."

The Admiral stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over the Citadel. "How can it be any worse?"

"Admiral, do you remember Commander Shepard's report about Jack? Subject Zero?" The doctor walked over and stood next to Admiral Hackett.

"The Pragia Facility? I thought that Subject Zero blew that up with Shepard's help." Admiral Hackett looked towards the doctor.

"They did, sir. But that doesn't mean someone hasn't walked off with the knowledge of what happened there. There may be some kind of…splinter cell…that is still carrying on the work from the Pragia Facility. And if the Sergeant's daughter is part of it." Dr. Carmen looked at Hackett. "What do we do, sir?"

Admiral Hackett looked towards the mass relay. "Contact, Commander Shepard. Tell him we'll need his and Subject Zero's help."

"I'll contact them immediately, sir." The doctor left Admiral Hackett's office to contact the Normandy.

The McGregor Residence:

'_Her favorite doll. It had always been her favorite.' _Sergeant McGregor thumbed the doll in his hand as he sat on his daughter's bed. He just sat there staring at it. It had been nearly ten years since Shana's abduction. Ten long years. And only recently had things degraded when he lost the trail when it took him to the Terminus Systems. His depression became worse. Everything that he held in was surfacing.

"Ti?" Luana asked as she looked into the room. Luana was a beautiful young Asari. No older than maybe a few hundred years. She was the daughter of a Matriarch and a diplomat. In her younger years she had spent time as an Asari commando. Running with a few gangs here and there. She met Tiberius when he was a stationed for security on the Citadel during a raid in the Zekara Ward. There was just something about him. A cold confidence he had about himself. But it wasn't just the confidence he had. There was a very soft side to him that just fell in love with. She knew about his "torture" on Akuze. And she was there when he relived the torment of the thresher maws. They dated, and eventually married.

Luana had just hit her matron years and was more than ready to settle down. They had a daughter together who was now eleven years old. The past ten years had gotten harder with each passing year. Luana loved Shana and Shana had accepted her asari stepmother as her real mother. Luana knelt down in front of Tiberius. "Sweetheart?" She put her hand on his.

Tiberius couldn't hold it in. He started crying. "I want my baby girl back. God I want her back." The flood of emotions washed right over him.

Luana took her husband in her arms and held him tight. Rocking him back and forth. She had never seen a human experience heartbreak so badly in her lifetime. She knew that a bond between a human male and his offspring was very strong. But it wasn't until now that she understood just how strong. The physical connection between a human mother and her child was one thing. But the psychological connection between the father and daughter was something she never expected.

She had seen him with their asari daughter, Meleesa. How happy he seemed to hold her and Shana in his arms. He was so alive. But take one of his greatest joys, and it was like taking a part of him as well. "We'll find her, Ti. I swear to the goddess we'll find her."

There was a knock at the front door. Meleesa walked over and opened it. "Hi, Doctor Carmen."

The older man smiled at the young asari. "Well good afternoon, my dear Meleesa. Tell me, are your mom and dad home?"

"Yep. Mom, dad?"

Luana looked towards the door to Shana's room. "We'll be right there." She wiped Tiberius' eyes.

Tiberius stood up and regained his composure. "I'll…I'll be ok, Luana. Let's go see what Sven wants." The two walk out. Tiberius took Dr. Carmen's hand and shook it firmly. "Sven, what can we do for you today."

Dr. Carmen was actually smiling. "Actually, Sergeant. It's what I can do for you. Sergeant McGregor, you remember Commander Shepard, don't you?"

Commander John Shepard stepped forward. "Ti, it's been way too damn long."

Tiberius' mouth fell open for a second and then stood at attention. "Commander Shepard. Welcome to our home, sir."

Shepard smiled at him and held his hand out. "I'm not part of the Alliance anymore, Ti. You don't need to salute me anymore."

Tiberius shook Shepard's hand firmly. "Jesus, John. It's damn good to see you." He shakes his head a moment. "Geez. Where are my…John, this is my wife, Luana. And this is our…youngest. Meleesa."

Shepard shook both Luana's and Meleesa's hand gently. "Good to meet you both. This is a member of my crew. Jack."

Jack step forward and greeted the family. "Hey."

Dr. Carmen bent down. "Meleesa, how would you like to go and get some ice cream? Give your dad and mom some time to catch up with old friends."

Meleesa looked up. "Can I?"

Luana knew that if Dr. Carmen was offering, then this talk was going to be a serious one. "Of course. But not too much. I don't want you spoiling your appetite for dinner."

Meleesa nodded and left with the good doctor. After they were gone, Shepard looked at Tiberius. "We need to talk."


	2. Rage is a hell of an anesthetic

Mass Effect: Progeny

Chapter 1: Rage is a hell of an anesthetic

The Citadel, McGregor Residence:

Shepard, Tiberius, Luana, and Jack sat in the living room. Luana was holding Tiberius' hand.

"Tiberius, I need you to tell me exactly what happened the day of the battle of the Citadel." Shepard sat on the edge of his seat.

Tiberius lowered his head. "We were running. Trying to make our way to the escape shuttles." Remembering the day was hard for Tiberius. Even worse than remembering Akuze. "I had cleared a path through the Geth with my biotics. But an explosion caused a support beam to come crashing down." His voice waivered a bit. "Dust and smoke filled the area, and in the confusion, Shana was screaming. God she was screaming…" Tiberius' voice trailed off.

Shepard nodded. "She was abducted in the confusion."

Luana hugged Tiberius tight. She whispered something to him to help him become a bit calmer. She then looked at Shepard. "Commander, why would someone wish to take a little girl? To harm a family that has done nothing to them?"

Jack hopped off the chair. "Because like Cerberus, they're fucking cold hearted bastards that have been tracking potential biotics for years." Her face said a lot about what she knew. "They're doing to her what they did to me. Pumping her full of shit, causing her pain, and trying to make way for a stronger biotic power. They are trying to do this by breaking through the pain threshold."

Shepard looked at Jack. "Jack are you sure thats what they're doing?"

"It doesn't take a damn scientist to figure it out, Shepard. Look at who the kid's father is." Jack pointed to Tiberius. "A biotic that made it off Akuze. Probably unleashed his full potential when escaping the thresher maws. That information doesn't stay hidden forever."

Shepard rested his head on his hand thinking. "Could it be a former scientist that may have escaped or left Pragia before you escaped, Jack?"

Jack shrugged. "Probably. Those assholes always rotated out."

Tiberius looked up, his eyes most from sobbing. "Will they kill her? Will they kill my baby girl?"

"Can't say. A lot of kids at Pragia didn't live through most of the experiments. Kind of depends on your kid's will I guess." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Tiberius noticed Jack's indifference. "How can you be so calm about it? What if it was your daughter?"

Luana tried to calm Tiberius down. But she knew as emotionally unstable as Tiberius was right now, that would be very hard.

Shepard interjected. "Jack's had time to come to terms with what's been done to her, Tiberius. But she's the best one to help deal with the situation and rescue Shana. But you have to trust her."

Jack shook her head. "Sittin' here and talkin' about it isn't savin' her."

Shepard nodded in agreement. "Jack's right. Finding them won't be easy. But we aren't going to rest until we find her."

Tiberius stood up. He seemed to have settled down a bit. "I'm going with you, John. I don't know what I can do, but I'm not going to sit around here doing nothing, feeling sorry for myself."

Shepard clasped his hand down on his friend's shoulder. "What about, Luana and Meleesa?"

Luana smiled a bit. "We'll be alright. Finding Shana is more important right now."

Tiberius walked over and kissed his wife. He touched his forehead to hers. "Thank you. So much, Luana."

"She's my daughter too, Ti. I want her back just as badly. Go and save our little girl." The two kissed.

Hawking Eta Cluster, Schwarzchild System, Atahil:

A group of scientists sat at a table looking over the data they accumulated from their latest batch of tests. The mulled over the varying levels of biotic power that their test subject exhibited. They were pleased to see that if she was pushed to her breaking point, her power rose exponentially. But what they were not pleased at was the point that she became uncontrollable. She had almost become like a caged animal.

The lead scientist tapped his chin thinking. "Perhaps we should see how she does in a fight for survival? That Asari prisoner we captured. Pit the two against each other and let us see how Subject Sigma does."

"How do you know Subject Sigma will fight? She's defied us this long."

"You let me worry about that." The lead scientist smiled. His name was Dr. Charles Menson. Back in the day, he was the mind behind the work with biotics. Mostly biotic implants. His biggest experiments were with the L2 biotic implants. He was hoping that they would realize their potential with the migraines and the crippling pain. But when the ethics board found out about what his real intentions were, they had his license pulled. It wasn't until Pragia when Cerberus found out about him. But by then it was too late. Subject Zero had killed most of the people there. Dr. Menson was one of three that were not on Pragia when Jack broke free.

Many called Menson insane or obsessive to the point of eccentric. Others called him a child murderer. But one thing was always clear, when Menson smiled, it was never good. For the smile itself was a smile that would end someone's life for what he called the greater good. "Get the Asari and take her to the "arena".

The "arena" was their testing ground. A place where they watched Subject Sigma. The guards brought in the young Asari and threw her into the "arena". The asari's name was Kelai. She was an acolyte of the Consort Sha'ira that was returning from a retreat on Thesia, the Asari homeworld. Dr. Menson had the transport hijacked and the prisoners brought here for testing purposes. Mostly, as fodder for their Subject Sigma.

"Welcome to the arena, my little blue friend." Dr. Menson said smiling.

"You have no right to keep me imprisoned here!" Kelai exclaimed.

"You are quite the spirited one, aren't you? I wonder how spirited you'll be when facing death, hmm? Let's see if you asari are truly as powerful as you claim to be." He looked at the guard on the other end. "Bring in Subject Sigma."

The guard rolled in a large containment pod. In it was Subject Sigma. Shana. Her eyes were covered by a large metal visor. The asari saw the young woman. She bristled with biotic power. Kelai looked up at Dr. Menson. "You arrogant bastard! You're a monster!"

"Yes, well. Everyone has to have a hobby." Menson turned a dial on his console. Shana, in the containment pod, screamed in pain. But as she did, her biotic powers began to grow.

The scientists in the seats above the area watched behind protective glass. They watched as the pod strained under the pressure of Shana's biotic powers. The pod erupted as Shana broke out by use of her biotics. The visor shattered. There was an animalistic look in her eyes. Rage. Hatred. She glared at Kelai as if she was the one that hurt her. Kelai wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to hurt Shana. But knew that whatever these monsters did to her, she would have to defend herself.

Shana let out a cry of rage as she charged at Kelai. The Asari raised her barrier just in time. Shana let out a warp field that caused Kelai to stagger backwards. Shana then let loose a powerful biotic shockwave. Kelai dove out of the way to avoid the incoming impacts. Kelai studied Shana a moment. Shana was blinded by her hatred for anyone that hurt her. The rage was causing Shana to be reckless in the use of her biotics. There was no control. Kelai thought of a way to use this to her advantage.

The scientists above nodded as they saw the levels of Shana's biotic energies. They were still growing the more angry she got.

Kelai stood and braced herself. As she set her foot back to brace herself, she heard a click. She looked down to see that she stood on a pressure plate of some sort. As she looked back at Shana, she saw a collar that she wore. It started to glow as it sent a strong electrical shock through her. Shana again screamed in immense pain. Kelai caught sight of tears flowing down Shana's cheeks. "Oh goddess…"

Shana, again in a blind rage, charged at Kelai again. This time, Kelai used Shana's own momentum to throw her off balance. Shana went down hard for a few long moments, she didn't move. Kelai covered her mouth. What had she done? She walked over and placed her hand on Shana's shoulder. Shana's body ignited in biotic energies. She grabbed Kelai's arm and rolled her over, pinning her. Shana's eyes burned with hatred. Kelai knew this was the end. She closed her eyes. "Goddess…forgive her. Please show her the love that has been taken from her."

Shana had her arm raised to deliver the final killing blow. She had a ball of biotic energy in her hand, ready to drive it into Kelai's head to smash it. But she stopped. She looked at Kelai, the rage in her eyes fading. Kelai looked back at Shana. Tears flowed down Shana's cheeks. "M…mommy..?"

Kelai blinked slowly. She slowly raised her hand, her fingers gently touching Shana's cheeks. _'Her mother…she must have an asari stepmother that she called mother.' _ Kelai no longer felt that this young woman was a killer. She felt sadness, sympathy for this poor soul.

Shana stood up…backing away from Kelai, her biotics dissipating. She looked around for a way out.

Dr. Menson growled. "Subject Sigma! KILL HER! KILL THE ASARI!"

Shana looked up at Dr. Menson, rage again filling her eyes. She screamed at him in a rage and threw a warp field. Her biotic energies growing again.

'_Dammit! Damn that asari! But perhaps this isn't a total loss. The girl responded to her. The asari is her weakness. Hmm…' _Dr. Menson thought a moment. He looked at the guards. "Subdue Subject Sigma and put that asari back in her cell!"

The guards entered the arena. Shock sticks in hand. Shana turned towards the guards. She threw a biotic singularity which caught a couple of the guards. She then turned back to see three of the guards grabbing Kelai. Shana roared in rage and charged at them. Menson touched his panel and Shana screamed in pain as the electricity went through her from her collar. She glared at him. He sent another wave of electricity though her. She screamed again and fell to her knees. Her biotics fading.

Kelai shook herself free from the guards and ran over to Shana, trying to get the collar off. The guards raised their shock stick but Kelai put herself between the guards and Shana. "Leave her alone! Haven't you done enough to her?" Shana was breathing rapidly, nearly unconscious. Kelai turned and pulled the hair away from her mouth and eyes. "Shh…don't try to move. Please, be at peace."

Menson grinned. "Put Subject Sigma and the asari in Sigma's cell. It seems we'll have more tests to run."


End file.
